Editorial: School kids show the state why parks should be open to all

Slowly but surely, nonprofits and local communities are exploring what they can do to keep open the 70 state parks slated to close on July 1.

So far, 10 parks have been removed from the closure list. The latest is a gem in our region, the South Yuba River State Park, with a lovely canyon and covered bridge, near Grass Valley.

Elementary school students at the public Grass Valley Charter School were among those who lobbied local leaders and helped the South Yuba River Citizens League collect 10,000 petition signatures. The Nevada County Board of Supervisors, the Nevada City and Grass Valley city councils and Truckee Town Council signed a letter to the governor.

State Parks officials announced Wednesday that the park will remain open, with new parking fees at entry kiosks and self-serve devices at park entry sites. Nevada County agreed to "no parking" signs along the public road adjacent to the park, so visitors will use the park's lot and pay the fee.

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The kids and the community still are trying get neighboring Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park off the closure list. That's the site of the largest hydraulic mining operation in California in the 1870s and early 1880s.

Other parks have gotten off the closure list with timely donations and active nonprofits.

For example, an anonymous donor offered to match every dollar up to $35,000 raised by the Sonoma/Petaluma State Historic Parks Association, to keep the the Petaluma Adobe State Park open four days a week through June 2013.

The Coe Park Preservation Fund, primarily funded by a single donor, will donate funds for two full-time rangers, a maintenance worker and two seasonal aides, to keep Henry Coe State Park open through June 2015.

The Bodie Foundation will collect fees to keep the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve open.

Multiple partners have joined to keep Railtown 1897 State Historic Park open four to five days a week; an agreement is close.

In Sacramento, with the help of a $75,000 pledge from Raley's, a fledgling Governor's Mansion Foundation is boosting fundraising and volunteerism, hoping to keep that state historic park open three to four days a week. The Stanford Mansion is exploring options for working with the State Capitol Museum.

State Parks is holding workshops across the state this month for those interested in forming partnerships to keep parks open. One is scheduled at the West Sacramento City Hall on Feb. 28.

These partnerships may not provide permanent solutions for keeping state parks open seven days a week all year long, but they are a good start.

Sixty more parks to go, and 20 weeks to come up with solutions before they close.

This is the list of parks that should be saved under agreements that have been set up and the type of arrangement in the works for each, according to the California Department of Parks and Recreation.